Penguins/NHL
Penguins forward Jordan Staal has suffered a setback in his rehab from a second foot surgery. Agent Paul Krepelka tells me this afternoon that the team will discuss Staal’s injury situation next week.
As we reported last week, Staal was in Pittsburgh about three weeks ago for a checkup with team doctors. At the time, no setback was revealed but there has been some concerns in the organization. The second foot surgery Staal had is normally a three-to-four month rehab period. The first one was a quick fix to give him the opportunity to keep playing in the playoffs
Staal has been currently training in Thunder Bay but his skating has been minimal.
How serious Staal’s latest setback is remains unknown until he is re-evaluated by team doctors.
Krepelka though was optmistic that the “setback” isn’t considered serious at this point. Per team rules, he told me that he could not comment on the record at length or get into specifics.
Pens GM Ray Shero told Rob Rossi of the Tribune-Review this afternoon that the team won’t rush Staal back.
“The tendon itself is intact and strong. Nothing has changed with that,” Shero told the Tribune-Review. “But he hasn’t had the opportunity to skate much.
“I don’t know (if Staal will be ready for camp). We’ll have a better indication next week. We’re not going to rush him.”
